The Richmond Heights School Board accepted the resignation of Buildings and Grounds Director Richard Muse at a special meeting on April 28.
“Please be advised that as of Friday April 25, I Richard Muse am resigning my position as the Director of Building and Maintenance for the Richmond City School District,” Muse said in the letter sent to the district.
Muse, 43, of Cleveland Heights, and former Superintendent Robert Moore allegedly “shook down a business that contracted with the school district” and threatened to end the victim’s business arrangement with the district if she did not make cash payments to them, according to Cuyahoga County prosecutors.
Moore and Muse were each originally indicted in March on felony charges of extortion, bribery, theft in office and a misdemeanor count of soliciting or receiving improper compensation. The two men were indicted on additional charges in April.
Muse was charged with three additional counts of tampering with records and three new counts of forgery. Prosecutors said Muse submitted fraudulent information in his job application to Moore, and that the application included job training certificates that had been forged by Muse.
Moore resigned April 14.
School Board President Bobby Jordan said he did not have any comment on Muse’s resignation.
Muse had only worked for the district for 57 days before he was suspended with pay March 4. He was suspended with pay for 52 days. As of April 30, Muse will have received $5,758.40 during his suspension, district treasurer John Scott said in an email.
Jordan said that Muse did not have a 90-day probationary period because he was in an administrative position.